Silver Snow Line [Criminal Investigation]

The sky was turning pale as the results of Zhang Yan's first autopsy were finally out. All personnel in charge of the case held a short meeting to review the case in light of the clues currently available.

The image is spread out on the projection screen, with the red dot pointing to the center.

"The deceased was wearing a white shirt, grey trousers, and flat leather shoes. His clothes were intact, but there were obvious scratches on the uppers of his shoes. The starting point of the fall was in the bathroom of Ward 13 on the 1306th floor. We extracted the deceased's fingerprints on the window frame and his footprints on the ground. In addition, there were also many and messy footprints from the nurses, doctors, and the deceased's family members. There were no signs of fighting at the scene. There was a 140*60 air conditioner outdoor unit and bracket on the outside of the building. The bracket was made of stainless steel and fixed on all four sides. There were also scratches on the surface. In the gap between the third and outermost steel bars, we also found a small amount of clothing fibers, which were compared and confirmed to be from the deceased's shirt."

"The deceased was 156cm tall, with abrasions on the palms of his hands. Falling from a height of meters means that all organs and bones under the skin were shattered into pieces, making it difficult to examine the trauma. The autopsy results showed that the body had multiple rib fractures on the right side, fractures of the right humerus and pelvis, and severe contusion and rupture of the lungs. The patient's life response was obvious, which met the basic characteristics of a high-fall injury. The patient fell from a high place before death, and encountered no obstacles during the fall. This is only the result of a preliminary examination, and the details will have to wait for further examination. In addition, the deceased had a male fetus in the womb, with a poorly developed placenta and necrotic umbilical cord. The deceased had died before the fall."

Cheng Buyu said: "One more thing, the body had light makeup on its face, including lipstick."

Seeing that some people were puzzled, Xie Qingfei continued, "According to Zhang Yuheng's confession, Zhang Yan had suffered multiple miscarriages. She finally got her wish, but it ended in failure. Such a person who had no desire to live didn't even leave a suicide note before she died. I'm afraid she didn't have the mood to put on makeup. And if she didn't plan to commit suicide, this day would be just an ordinary day for her. She would dress up as usual, whether to meet someone or to please herself. She didn't realize that she would encounter misfortune today."

Lu Shaohui said: "Captain Xie also found a tissue burned by a cigarette butt in the trash can in the bathroom, but the cigarette butt was taken away by someone, which is also very suspicious."

Xie Qingfei: "It was said before that there was a foreign object between the nails of the deceased. Have you found out what it is?"
Cheng Buyu: "It's the thumb of my right hand. There's rust inside."
"rust?"
"Yes. The deceased also had the same rust on her palms. Her abrasions were probably caused by that." Cheng Buyu showed the photos to everyone. "This kind of wound is usually caused by intense friction with irregular surfaces."
Zhao Chongyun pondered, "There is nothing rusty in the ward. The only place with rust on the scene can only be the air conditioner outdoor unit bracket."

"If she wanted to jump off the building, she would have to jump over the air conditioner. It's understandable that her palms were covered with dust, but it's strange that she got cut." Lu Shaohui said, "In addition, the deceased was only 161cm tall, and the window sill was 110cm high. We didn't find any tools for climbing at the scene. In addition, she was eight months pregnant and had difficulty moving. It would be difficult for her to climb up to the window and jump down without the help of anything else - there were no shoe prints on the window frame!"

Xie Qingfei said: "In order to commit murder in a narrow space, the suspect's familiarity with the scene is a necessary condition for committing the crime. As for why there are no signs of a fight, I think it is probably because the murderer grabbed the victim's legs from behind and pushed him down the stairs. This explains why there are no shoe prints of the victim on the window frame, and it also shows that the murderer must be someone the victim trusted and could carry on his back. The bloodstains found at the scene may have been left by the murderer's fingers pressing on the windowsill after he picked up the victim."

"Although Zhang Yuheng is the most suspicious in terms of the time of the crime," Zhao Chongyun frowned, "there is no wound on the back of his hand. I still can't think of any reason for him to kill Zhang Yan. His sister was very good to him. Isn't it said that Zhang Yan and her husband's family conditions are also good? He can obviously suck his sister's blood for the rest of his life."

Lu Shaohui said, "Zhang Yuheng didn't know that Dr. Wei was Zhang Yan's psychiatrist. He also told us that he personally told Zhang Yan about the miscarriage after reading the medical report, so Zhang Yan had reason to jump off the building. But according to Dr. Wei, Zhang Yan didn't know about this. If what Dr. Wei said was true, during the two and a half days that Zhang Yan was hospitalized, she was just a mother who was only concerned about giving birth. How could she jump off the building? Zhang Yuheng concealed so much. I don't believe that he didn't have any hidden agenda."

There was a photo of Zhang Yuheng on the whiteboard. Xie Qingfei took it off and attached it to Zhang Yan's photo with a magnet. Zhang Yuheng had regular features, slightly protruding cheekbones, and cheek lines that converged straight toward the chin, a very shrewd face. Zhang Yan looked like an easygoing and amiable woman, not worldly-wise at all, and to put it bluntly, she was a bit habitually pleasing. It can be seen that even though they were siblings, they developed very different personalities and attitudes because of the different treatments they received since childhood.
If we put Wang Shuang's photo in the middle and lower part of the two for comparison, just his handsome and elegant appearance makes people more inclined to believe that he and Zhang Yan are the same type of people.

"The lunch box is still on the table, and Zhang Yan only took a bite. The take-away box is for home use, which means the meal was prepared and brought from home. Shouldn't the person who delivered the meal wait until she finishes eating before taking it home to wash?" Xie Qingfei suddenly said.

Originally, everyone was still discussing Zhang Yuheng's suspicion and did not realize this detail.

"And the rust in Zhang Yan's fingernails..." Xie Qingfei stretched out his right hand and looked at the five fingers. After a moment's silence, he said, "Go and carefully check the external machine bracket to determine which one she grabbed before she died. Is there any trace left on it?"
Lu Shaohui quickly understood: "Let's go now."
Xie Qingfei nodded: "Be careful and don't force yourself."

At this time, Xi Ming knocked on the door and came in, saying with a serious face: "I have investigated Zhang Yuheng's account. In the past two years, he has more than 20 large transfer records, with a total amount of more than 300 million."
Everyone was shocked: "Where did so much money come from?"
"Our city recently uncovered an online gambling case and found Zhang Yuheng's identity information in the membership list. The public security brigade took him away for investigation early in the morning."
This suspect's schedule is quite full, with one problem after another. Xi Ming doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Zhao Chongyun was speechless and said, "Zhang Yuheng must have a problem with his brain. He is a high-level intellectual after all, but he dares to gamble?"

Xi Ming said: "I have read the confession. Two years ago, due to the epidemic, Zhang's father's factory had problems with its capital chain and was on the verge of bankruptcy. He begged for help from everyone, and finally his son-in-law Wang Shuang helped to save it, but the situation is not the same as before. It was around this time that Zhang Yuheng first came into contact with this website. The early momentum was good, and he bought a Mercedes-Benz and lived a carefree life for a while. This kind of phishing website will definitely give some sweetness to attract users at the beginning. It seems that the money comes quickly and does not require too much capital, so Zhang Yuheng can't help but go there again when he is short of money. I did. As a result, real gambling at least depends on luck, but this kind of artificial manipulation will make even Fa Ge lose his pants. In the past two years, Zhang Yuheng has lost all his savings, but he dare not tell his family, and he always thinks that he can turn the tide. When he can't pay, he takes out a loan or asks Zhang Yan for money. The most recent time was last month, and he owed more than 500,000 foreign debts, and he just paid it back yesterday. I think he is lucky, because he has borrowed and repaid, and he didn't go bankrupt completely. The other victims of online gambling have all lost their fortunes and will never be able to turn things around in their lifetime. "

As for where Zhang Yuheng got the money to repay the loan, he had to thank Young Master Wei for his strong support.
But Wei Cheng only lent him 30 yuan. Since his parents couldn't give him the remaining 20 yuan, the only person he could turn to for help was his sister. This was probably the main reason why he went to the ward to "visit" Zhang Yan yesterday.

A colleague nearby speculated, "Zhang Yan must be curious about what he wants with such a large sum of money. Could it be that after she asked the truth, Zhang Yuheng got angry and pushed Zhang Yan down the stairs? Gambling is a bad habit, and Zhang Yuheng is a doctor. For the sake of his reputation, he dared not tell anyone about this, so he had to kill her to silence her."

Xie Qingfei asked: "So who gave the remaining 20 yuan in the end?"
"If my sister doesn't give it to me, my brother-in-law has money." The transfer records showed that at around 20 o'clock yesterday morning, Wang Shuang's account transferred yuan to Zhang Yuheng.
"Then he went to see Zhang Yan at around 11 o'clock, so he wouldn't have quarreled with her because he didn't get the money, right?" Zhao Chongyun asked puzzledly, "Also, Dr. Wei said that Zhang Yuheng asked him to send a check because the amount of his account was limited. Why could Wang Shuang transfer money to him?"
No one can give him an answer to this question for the time being, but because Zhang Yuheng is suspected of participating in online gambling, whether he is the murderer of Zhang Yan is particularly important for what kind of punishment he will receive in the future.

"There's something else for you to look at." Xi Ming turned to a certain page of the document. Everyone gathered around and looked at each other for a moment after reading it.

"Fuck, bitch." was the heartfelt words of a room full of detectives.

Just as Xie Qingfei was about to speak, another police officer came to the door and said, "Captain Xie, Zhang Yuheng said he has something urgent to tell you."

Zhang Yuheng actually went back to the hospital after leaving the police station last night, and only went home after completing his night rounds. He is currently single and has been living with his parents. There was no abnormality throughout the night. He probably didn't expect to be visited by the public security brigade, and he was still in a daze. He made a big fuss to see Xie Qingfei, saying that he had something urgent to do.

"Doctor Zhang, what do you want to talk to me about?" As Xie Qingfei spoke, he realized that he was not wearing the watch worth 50 yuan today.

Zhang Yuheng was not too panicked. After all, participating in gambling did not constitute a crime. Being detained for a few days and fined were minor punishments. He was also deceived, so he could still be called a victim.

"Captain Xie, I was too nervous yesterday, so I lied to you." He ignored her scrutinizing look and got straight to the point, "I didn't tell my sister about her miscarriage right away."

The detectives in front of the surveillance camera who were thinking of using this as a breakthrough point were stunned for a moment.

Xie Qingfei just nodded and said, "Why lie?"

"I am a person who is very afraid of trouble. I don't want to be labeled as the suspected murderer of my sister. This has a great impact on my reputation. Although you didn't release the news to the public, my colleagues saw me being 'invited' away by your people yesterday. If you keep investigating the cause of my sister's death, I will be even more embarrassed in the hospital if I delay it for another day." Zhang Yuheng looked embarrassed and said in a guilty tone, "My sister had depression to begin with, and it was reasonable for her to commit suicide. Besides, you also said that there were no other suspicious people at the time, so I... I just said it."

Xie Qingfei looked at his expression of trying to be forbearing and laughed, "Are you blaming me for giving you the opportunity to lie?"
"It's meaningless to pursue this now, Captain Xie. My sister must have been murdered. I don't know who the murderer is. I can only guarantee that it's not me. You can go and check it out. I will fully cooperate." Zhang Yuheng squeezed out a few tears from the corners of his eyes and looked at her with hazy eyes. "I just want to find the real murderer who killed my sister."
Xie Qingfei: "But you were the only one in her room at the time, and you lied. Your words are no longer credible."
Zhang Yuheng: "If I were still a human being, I would not kill my own sister. Besides, many murders can be committed without the murderer's presence. Don't you usually look at the cases?"
Xie Qingfei was silent for a few seconds, and waited until impatience appeared in Zhang Yuheng's eyes before he slowly said, "Zhang Yan has no enemies. Who do you think would want to kill her?"
"How could there not be any? What do you police officers do? Did you investigate thoroughly?" Zhang Yuheng was irritated by her nonchalant attitude. He straightened his back and almost pressed his body in front of her. "Her husband, her best friend, and... yes, and her psychiatrist. Didn't they say that the last phone call she made before her death was to her psychiatrist? Maybe it was this person who instigated her to commit suicide over the phone. Go check it out!"

The water in the paper cup on the table was shaking due to the collision. Zhang Yuheng slowed down, held the cup and drank it all.

"Depression patients are very fragile mentally, and they certainly trust their doctors. But now anyone who gets a counselor certificate with no technical skills can call themselves a psychologist, and they can easily cheat people out of money and sex. Who knows if the one my sister found is legitimate? There have been so many cases of PUA causing suicide in recent years, and my sister must have had the misfortune of meeting such a pervert. I can think of this possibility. If you had spent half the time you spent on investigating this matter, the murderer would have been caught long ago."

Xie Qingfei looked at his series of actions, and said with deep emotion: "If I didn't know you a little bit, I would have suspected that you said this just to avoid paying back the money."
Zhang Yuheng frowned and asked inexplicably, "What, what do you mean by paying back the money?"
Xie Qingfei said, "Zhang Yan's psychiatrist is called Wei Cheng. You should be familiar with this name, right? After all, he is your good brother who has been close to you since college. He just lent you money yesterday out of kindness. Why don't you remember the favor today and beat him up like a pervert?"

There was obvious surprise in Zhang Yuheng's eyes, and all his prepared remarks were stuck at this moment. It seemed that he really knew nothing about the relationship between Wei Cheng and Zhang Yan.

In the monitoring room, Zhao Chongyun was very puzzled and said, "Doctor Wei didn't know about the relationship between Zhang Yuheng and Zhang Yan. It could be because the two of them didn't mention it to the public. But they are in the same hospital, and Zhang Yuheng has the convenience of his position. How could he not know who his sister's psychologist is?"
Xi Ming shook his head and asked, "Did I have fried dough sticks or soy milk for breakfast today?"
Zhao Chongyun: “Ah?”
"You see, you don't care about me at all, so you don't know." Xi Ming gave him the answer, touching his stomach and said, "In fact, I didn't eat either, and I'm almost starving to death."
Zhao Chongyun didn't quite accept this answer: "Not really?"
Xi Ming said, "Do you remember what Zhang Yuheng said yesterday? He knew that my sister was sick, but he thought she was fine because nothing had happened. This shows that although he knew about this, he didn't do any in-depth research from beginning to end. To be honest, it's difficult for ordinary people to see a doctor. Some of our distant relatives know to come to my brother for minor illnesses. It's much more convenient to have connections. Zhang Yuheng is a doctor. He has connections and resources. If his own family members need help, doesn't he know to use them to arrange for Zhang Yan? He asked my brother to help check on Zhang Yan's situation. Would my brother refuse? But he did nothing. He even knew that there were many chaos in the psychological industry. Now that he thought that my sister might have been fooled by a half-baked person, why didn't he protect her earlier? It can be seen that he didn't take Zhang Yan's matter to heart at all."

Zhang Yuheng froze for two seconds, then said with a stiff face, "Wei Cheng... is my friend, but I don't know about his relationship with my sister. You know, doctors have to keep patients' information confidential, and their department is even stricter about this. He never mentioned this to me."
Xie Qingfei continued: "Does he know that you have a sister?"
Zhang Yuheng argued bitterly: "There's no need to publicize this kind of thing...right?"
"So that's how it is. I thought you had a good relationship with him." Xie Qingfei said with some regret.
Zhang Yuheng raised his lips reluctantly: "That was all just self-boasting to make you be polite to me. Wei Cheng and I are not from the same class, how can I be worthy of being on friendly terms with him."
Comparing this attitude with yesterday's, who can't help but praise his adaptability?
Xie Qingfei said "Oh" in cooperation and raised his eyes: "So you still insist that Wei Cheng might be the murderer who instigated your sister to commit suicide over the phone?"
Zhang Yuheng raised his chin hesitantly at first, then he became more determined and nodded vigorously: "You will know if you check it out. If it's not him, it must be someone else. In any case, there must be something wrong with my sister's death!"

"Sure." Xie Qingfei tapped his fingertips on the table rhythmically and smiled. "Your sister bought so many insurance policies, and you are listed as the beneficiary. How much compensation can she get just for committing suicide? If it were me, I would insist that she was murdered. If all the compensations are added together, you can be in the same class as Wei Cheng."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yuheng's expression turned cold at an instant.

(End of this chapter)